Siem Reap, the Angkor Ruins, and a Village Tour

We spent five days in the town of Siem Reap, north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. One of these days was spent on a tour of a local village, seeing how most Cambodian lives. It was very interesting to see the differences in daily life between America and Cambodia. Most houses were one room and on stilts, with the family's livestock and rice paddy on a small plot of land. Later, we were fortunate enough to help with an English class at the local NGO, Journeys Within Our Community. After learning about the programs provided, we talked for an hour with Cambodian teens with varying levels of English.

One of the neighbors' many cows (Photo Credit: Emily)

Our guide preparing a few fresh coconut drinks (Photo Credit: Emily)

Our time as a family over the remaining four days was spent differently based on interest levels. Emily, Sarah and Michelle spent more time exploring the town, while Mark and I spent more time in the Angkor complex. We all spent two days together exploring many ruins.

From the 9th to 14th century, the Khmer Empire built many temples dedicated to various deities in both the Hindu and Buddhist religions. We started out with the two most famous, Angkor Wat, built in the early 12th century as a Buddhist temple, and Angkor Thom, the city complex located less than a mile away. These extensive ruins were built on a foundation of brick and laterite, with sandstone carved over the top. Pediments, lintels, columns and walls are intricately carved with Hindu and Buddhist motifs depending on the religion to which the temple is dedicated. Within the Angkor Thom city walls is the Bayon, a stunning temple with faces on many of the sanctuaries.

The east entrance of Angkor Wat (Photo Credit: Becca)

The gate of Angkor Thom, with four faces of Buddha reminiscent of the Bayon (Photo credit: Becca)

The second day, we explored Pnohm Bakeng, Preah Khan, Banteay Srei, Banteay Samre and Ta Prohm. Built during various eras with different materials by different kings. The most well known ruin was Ta Prohm, with large trees growing over the ruins (and a setting for Laura Croft: Tomb Raider). My personal favorite was Preah Khan, as our guidebook led us to find many cool hidden bas reliefs.

A sanctuary on top of Phnom Bakeng (Photo Credit: Emily)

Mark navigating the many twists and turns of Preah Khan (Photo Credit: Emily)

Banteay Srei (Photo Credit: Emily)

The central sanctuary of Banteay Samre (Photo Credit: Emily)

One of the iconic spots within Ta Prohm (Photo Credit: Emily)

The day after the village tour, Emily, Sarah and Michelle spent a quiet day in town, while Mark and I took a tuktuk to explore many more temples. We started in the town of Rolous, just south of Siem Reap. There, we saw Preah Ko and Bakang, two much older temples. We then visited Eastern Mebon, Pre Rup, Banteay Kdei and Ta Keo. This was lots of fun, and by the end of the day, we were able to discern the Hindu stories on the bas reliefs without the help of our guidebook!

Preah Khan (Photo Credit: Becca)

All in all, we had a great time in Siem Reap and I would highly recommend a visit if you are interested in history.

-Becca